firsthand
/ˈfɝstˌhænd/adjective, adverb
firsthand is spelled F-I-R-S-T-H-A-N-D: 9 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.8 times per million words in written English, the 20,906th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “first-hand vs firsthand” about 110 times a month (Google, United States). As an adjective, firsthand means “Direct, without intermediate stages” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in firsthand?
| Letters | 9: F-I-R-S-T-H-A-N-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.8 times per million words; the 20,906th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026).
How common is firsthand?
Firsthand appears 1.8 times per million words in written English, the 20,906th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce firsthand?
- UK /ˈfɜːstˌhænd/
- US /ˈfɝstˌhænd/
- US [ˈfɝstˌhɛənd]
As an adverb (“Directly or from personal experience”): /ˌfɜːstˈhænd/, [ˈfɝstˌhɛənd], /ˌfɝstˈhænd/.
Firsthand has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-firsthand.oga, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with firsthand
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Also written: first-hand (one word or two).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of firsthand
- first hand
- first-hand
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does firsthand mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Direct, without intermediate stages.
firsthand knowledge
- 2
Not previously owned or used; contrasted with secondhand.
a firsthand copy
adverb
- 1
Directly or from personal experience.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Firsthand in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense direct, without intermediate stages:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | aus erster Hand, unmittelbar, direkt |
| Portuguese | de primeira mão |
| Spanish | de primera mano |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does firsthand come from?
From first + hand.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).